Friday, February 07, 2014

Suppertime and sheep tally...

Creamy Sausage Stew is a hearty, simple supper that satisfies on a cold, cold day of work. Leftovers are just as good as the night before. If you're in need of a supper that really sticks to your ribs, give this one a try.

Creamy Sausage Stew

1 or 2 lb. German sausage (or your favorite), chopped bite sized

3 or 4 large potatoes, chopped

1 red or orange or yellow pepper, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

2 big handfuls of chopped kale (opt) or parsley

2 cloves garlic, chopped

Salt & Pepper to taste

1 tsp. thyme

2 T. olive oil

1 c. heavy cream (or more)

Preheat your oven to 420*. In a 12" cast iron skillet or cake pan, add the chopped sausage and veggies (except kale). Pour the olive oil over all of it, generously salt & pepper, and add thyme to your taste. Stir to lightly coat with oil. Slide the pan into the oven and bake for about 40-45 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Add kale and cook just a few minutes, then pour heavy cream over the roasted meat and veggies and stir. Slide stew back into the oven and allow the cream to heat through and thicken slightly, just a few minutes. Serves 4.

A dear friend sent us some lovely citrus from Arizona.

We had orange slices for dessert; they were so sweet.

We spent the entire day cleaning the lambing barn and bedding it with fresh straw. Then we set up the jugs and pens for the new mothers and lambs. After lunch we worked through all the sheep, sorting the yearling lambs from the herd and sorting off the bucks and the open ewes who won't lamb. We paint-branded all the sheep since their former brands were sheared off. We applied an insecticide to each of them as they leaped out the gate. We counted sheep as all good sheep herders should. All were tallied and marked in the book.

Stats: 190 ewes to lamb this month
85 yearling ewes to lamb in May
11 bucks
35 possible open ewes

Yearling ewes, open ewes, and bucks take a ride in the trailer to another pasture where they will spend the rest of the winter. Some of them smeared their paint brands and some applied it as lipstick. Tonight we'll check the ewes before bedtime and see if there might be an early lamb or two born. One crippled ewe lambed a few days ago and lost her twin lambs. We think they were premature. More to come soon!